Today's entry fulfills two roles. First, few weeks ago I promised to write a short face painting tutorial on Polish Bolt Action Facebook group. Second, this is the Lone Head - and Lone Heads are - literary - subjects of yet another round of Miniatures Blog Carnival, initiative started by me few months ago amongst Polish blogosphere, and current edition is run by Anolecrab from the Krypta Królów blog.

So, to kill two birds with one stone, I will use a head in overseas cup from USMC plastic box by Warlord Games, to show my way of painting faces.

To make reading easier, I divided whole painting process into few separate stages. It is worth to note though, that I tend to blend few stages into one, especially two, three last ones, when painting miniatures not for tutorial. I tend to paint shadows and highlights in one, extended stage. All descriptions will use neutral colors' names first, with a name of specific paint in brackets, to make identyfing precise shade of color easier. One more thing - colours used are best for warm summer - which I like to think my WW2 era US marines are operating in.

1. Undercoat. I basecoat my marines using white paint (White Vallejo Model Air) airbrushed on - I want to achieve bright, clean final look of the finished miniature, and white basecoat is best for it (maybe with a light gray being close second).

2. Wash. I tend to use black wash with a drop or two of medium (Nuln Oil and Lahmian Medium by GW) and water. Mix has a water consistency and tends to flow into depressions. I use it to accentuate details and to make fine, dark lines, which will be visible between areas of different colors on finished miniature.

3. Basic colors. Flesh on face, brown on hair, khaki on overseas cap - nothing simpler really. I tried to not overpaint thin, fine dark line between the cap and the forehead. My paint of choice for painting basic flesh color is Tallarn Flesh by GW.

5. Eyes. I started with a darkening of eye sockets with a dark brown wash - any dark brown paint and water will do. It is pin washed on sockets to darken general eye area. After the was is dry, I paint the eyeball with a black or dark grey paint (Abaddon Black or Charadon Granite). The black area is slightly larger then the eyeball and slightly smaller then the area washed with dark brown wash.

6. Whites of the eyes and pupils. The hardest part of face painting. To paint it right, good brush and steady hands are a must. Personally, I use modelling glasses too, but I paint everything wearing them, as my eyesight is not as good as it was ten or even five years ago. To paint whites of the eyes, I use light grey color (Fortress Grey mixed with white paint). True eyeball is rarely white - it is light grey. Look on someone's face from the distance of 150-200cm. Eyes are definitely not white when seen from this distance. Whites of the eyes, which I paint, are slightly smaller then the black area painted in the previous stage. Thin black lines, which are visible, are believeble eyelids' edges in 28mm scale. I paint pupils with black paint, using just a tip of the brush. I try to paint not in the middle of the white area, but slightly to the top. I want to achieve not a perfect, round circle, but something closer to a part of the circle. It is really important to achieve similar look of the both pupils, both size and positionwise. It is equally important, to paint pupils correct for the look of the face itself. Eyes of the shouting person are different then the eyes of someone just staring into the distance, etc. It is hard and it will make you curse and try again. And again:)

7. Basic shadows. Simple, pleasant stage, one where face starts to be finally visible. To paint shadows I use very watered down brown and grey paints (Scorched Brown, Fortress Grey, Shadow Grey). Main shadows, the ones which are visible in all folds and depressions, is Scorched Brown, glazed on in several layers. Areas such as jaw edges, lower cheeks - grey is being used, to make an impression of growth of hair.

8. Basic highlights. I use flesh colors, white and grey (Tallarn Flesh, Fortress Grey, Bleached Bone). I highlight upper areas of the ears and ear lobes, middle of the forehead, cheek bones, middle of the jawbone, etc. My first highlight color is always Tallarn Flesh - I use it to blend washed areas of the face with highlights and generally to tidy up all mistakes made in previous stages. Next layers of highlights are done with Tallarn Flesh mixed with varying amounts of Bleached Bone, white and Fortress Grey. Areas, which are brighter lit in zenithal lightning, I paint lighter.

9. Finishing touches. The most pleasant and satisfactory stage of the whole work. I use all previously mixed colours to fix some blending, make contrasts, fix all errors and mistakes. I paitned overseas cap and hair too in this stage and the head is finished and ready to be glued on the miniature itself. So, the head of commander of my WW2 American US marines is finished.

Sorry for low quality photos, but I think my camera is no able to make anything better. I hope that they are clear enough to see something at least...

Today's entry presents seventh Regiment of Renown from the early period of Warhammer. Initially, when it was released for the first time for 1st edition of the game, this unit was available as a set of eight identical elves armed with bows and one figure of either leader or musician or standard bearer. Later, in 2nd edition, unit was joined by champion.

There were two different versions of those miniatures, which is shown on the picture below. Second version was released for 2nd edition of Warhammer, miniatures were designed to accept then new plastic shields.

The bowmen of Wood Elf Prince Oreon

All of the remnant wood Elves of the Old World are noted for their amazing skills with the bow. From amongst his father's people, Prince Oreon chose the best archers and woodsmen and assembled this famous Elven band. With his Company, Oreon left the Old World and took ship to the Elf Kingdoms, where he joined the crusading army of the Sea-Elf Lord Staleor. He fought with distinction in Staleor's Southlands campaign, losing an eye in hand-to-hand combat with the Evil wizard Dornbast.

Oreon's company wears the traditional hunting green of the Wood Elves, with full capes and hoods. In addition to his bow, each warrior carries a shield, sword, long knife and two quivers. Regimental Champion llfrun also has a huge doublehanded sword, a weapon wrested from a fearsome Giant during the Southlands campaign. The company proved more than willing to get stuck in, and after their return to the Old World formed the basis of the Greenwoods defence.

Oreon himself grew sullen over the years and took to brooding over the loss of his eye and vitality, a result of a wound inflicted by Dornbast. One day he simply vanished. Popular legend has it that he went in search of his lost eye. The tale is told in some length in the 'Lay of Oreon's Folly', a well known drinking song.

BATTLECRY'The Greenwoods', also 'Oreon, Oreon', and 'Take the high ground'.

DEEDSThe Bowmen of Oreon earned eternal fame on the occasion when a huge Giant Champion challenged Oreon to single combat. Oreon accepted, and as the Giant strode out to do combat, his entire company launched a single volley of arrows, killing the Giant instantly. Although many people thought this a dirty trick, Oreon always maintained that the Giant had rancid breath, smelled utterly foul and deserved to die anyway.

SHIELDThe shield illustrates the Greenwood, and the arrows of the company.

UNIFORMSGreen tunic and breeches with weather stained green cloak and hood. Long leather boots are worn with turned down tops. Oreon wears the same uniform, but in a more elaborate cut.

Few days without blog updates - I wasn't able to paint or to write and I'm not really able to do it yet. I was only able to slowly paint four stands of Imperial Fists infantry. Tiny miniatures, not so very well detailed, but they look decent from some distance I think.

My brother challenged me with his latest paintings, so I accepted this, of course. Additionally, I wanted to paint something for our Epic 30K project since seeing his predators, which were shown on the blog yesterday. Some people think that those old models are rather crude, but to be honest, I like their old school look. Things look no different with rhino transports. Models are taken from "Space Marine" game, which was released more then 20 years ago. Painting itself is a little different then on my first APCs - I washed them with lighter oil wash, not Devlan Mud or current counterpart. Final effect is much lighter look. The difference is very visible once old and new models are standing next to each other but, as I want to achieve dirty and ragtag appearance of battlefield units, not parade ground look, I will definitely leave them as they are now.

If not some buys, our slowly growing (ekhem, ekhem) units would consist of Land Raiders, Whirlwinds and Rhinos only. Fortunately, auction sites were invented, sites where one can buy for a rather low prices (ok, ok, no more lies, I promise), some models designed for games, which aren't currently supported by our Genius Publisher.

So, I was able to buy some older Epic miniatures, including, great Deimos pattern Predators. Beautiful, rounded turrets were alwasy an eye-catcher for me and for long I dreamed about drafting some of those tanks into my forces. It was a joy to finally grab such excellent models - beautiful moment, do not pass away! And then came a moment of reflection. XII Legion description in Betrayal book indicates, that Predators of this particular Legion were less numerous then in other legions. I even considered painting them in colors of other legions - XVII or XIII - but fortunately I came to my senses. Less numerous doesn't mean that they were unknown at all. World Eaters did use them after all, and models are armed in sponson-mounted las-cannons, which suits fine desctiption of the tactic of XII Legion. I will quote Betrayal book here: hunter-killer squadrons tasked to pursue and destroy enemy armour and other targets od opportunity rather than for infrantry-support missions.

Predators were painted in a slightly different way then my Land Raiders and Rhinos. White basecoat was heavily washed with black wash, then whole miniature was drybrushed. Paint scheme itself is based on the one given in Betrayal - with some slight alterations. I think, few weeks after finishing them, that blue markings on the turrets are too big - and this is the biggest change in comparison to the "canonical" Betrayal paint scheme.Mormeg

Previous entry from this series, presenting Nobz, is available here. Text itself comes from the Waaagh Orks, one of the supplements for Rogue Trader game.

Da Boyz

Boyz are the rank and file of Ork warriors. Most Orks are Da Boyz. Their war gear is usually flak armour adorned with a backplate bearing their clan insignia. The Boss of each household is in charge of at least four Boyz, and usually a few more. Each househild and family has its own variation of the clan heraldry and its own individual insignia.

The majority of Da Boyz fight as tough, determined infantry. Boyz are usually armed with the Orks' favourite weapon the bolt-gun. Two Boyz in each household, the henchmen of the boss, are often armed with heavy weapons. Orks have a preference for crude, noisy weapons and find it difficult to believe a weapon can do any damage unless it makes a loud and terrifying noise at the same time.

According to legend, some ancient Orks fought as boar-riders. This practice is still found among some Ork tribes that have clung on to more primitive methods of warfare on wilderness planets. More advanced Orks who made contact with these tribes were so impressed by the ferocity of the boar-riders, that the Meks and Painboyz set about experimenting with captured wild boars. Before long, they had breed - or rather engineered - a breed of cyborg boar. Known as Cyboar, these beasts are part ferocious animal and part machine. Bionics lend the Cyboars enhanced stamina and endurance. The naturally savage temperament of the wild boar remains, along with several technological enhancements (for example, their teeth and tusks are of gleaming razor-sharp steel). Those Orks brave and reckless enough to ride the Cyboars come from the more primitive and savage clans, notably the barbaric Snake-Bites.

Any clan that has plenty of Mekboyz (like the Evil Sunz) will also have plenty of mechanised Ork warriors riding a bizzare array of vehicles, including bikes, trikes, buggies, war-tracks, armoured battle karts, and anything else the Meks can think of. These Boyz are mean and reckless. They like going fast, usually driving straight at the enemy. They are adept at long-range overland raiding, or wide flanking movements that form a sort of motourised column.

Orks revel in the roar of engines and the dust thrown up by the wheels. In these attacks, they look like a dust storm heading for the enemy. Motorised Boyz paint their vehicles red ("cos red ones go faster") - a common custom throughout Orkdom.

Apart from Boarboyz, Bikeboyz are the nearest thing the Orks have to shock cavalry. Bikeboyz and Stormboyz have nothing but disdain for each other. Bikeboyz are wild by nature, and their methods of fightning from the fast bikes are reckless and undisciplined. Their outlook is different from that of the Stormboyz, who aspire to discipline, drill and ruthless professionalism.

If any Bikeboyz come upon a regiment of Stormboyz going through their paces, the Bikeboyz will challenge them to a duel of nerves. The Stormboyz won't refuse because it's a matter of honour. The Bikeboyz rev-up a few hundred yards away from the Stormboyz, who form up in their immaculate ranks. Then, the Bikeboyz hurtle straight at them to see if they break rank. Whoever fanks it first, that is if the Bikeboyz, veer of before smashing into the Stormboyz, or if the Stormboyz open up to let them through, are in for a lot of derision from the whole tribe, when the word gets out. Not surprisingly, a few Orks are lost every time one of these contests occurs.

On a different day then customary Tuesday, Mormeg shows his latest Epic 30K creations.
Inkub

Some time ago, during painting of further World Eaters for Epic, I came to the conclusion, that:

1) Painting epic infantry in whites is very time consuming,

2) Imperial Fists are nowhere to be seen, at least in substantial numbers,

3) it is time to painting something new - and with great The Laurel of Defiance story lately read, I thought about painting Ultramarines unit.

4) But you know - thought is just a thought. It came and it is gone. Well, maybe not that entirely gone. Ultramarines will be painted, that's sure but as opponents to joint forces of World Eaters and Word Bearers. So, this is the story behind those four stands of MK VI armoured infantry. They were paint reasonably fast in colours of XVII Legion as a part of Vakrah Jal. I decided to use square bases to further differentiate them from unruly World Eaters, as I think that square bases look more uniformed and infantry looks more "ranked". The idea came, of course, from Dembski-Bowden and his brilliant description of preparations on board of Conqueror for a drop on Armatura (Betrayer novel).

The last of recently painted marines, this time armed with Winchester M12 Trench Gun. It was relatively old weapon during WW2 already, still - it was widely used by both USMC and US Army for next 20 years. USMC used those shotguns not only for trench warfare - it was excellent weapon for close combat fightning, when aiming was hard and firepower was king - jungle, cave fightning, underground corridors, etc. Winchester was also a standard weapon in flamethrower teams. Shotgun armed marine protected the one with flamethrower. I hope to show such a team in a couple of days.And one more thing - a group photo of all painted marines so far.